One More Mile - Cape Cod Athletic Club

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Cape Cod Athletic Club - July/Oct 2007 would. She kept count of the various folks we would overtake, and notch them out to me as though we were collecting pelts. Fun. She said she was finding this adventure to her immense liking, and you could tell. We were marching through the countryside like Sherman through Georgia. When we got to Tom at the bottom of the last climb, he was girding for the end, for he knew if we just continuedas we had been, we had it in the bag. The trek up Sugarloafin is particularly tiresome because you have a series of false peaks, and with the growing weariness you begin to think, well, this must be the top. But no, after a flat stretch, we again begin climbing, and it is difficult to determine which orb up in the sky might be a glow stick or a star in the heavens. This is another good chance to try to just keep it in the now, and simply insert your being into repititive forward motion. It works. We entered May Queen with the luxury of a half hour to waste, and here I a dmit I got a bit lazy and lost any competitive zeal I had felt that morning to perhaps place higher. My two pacers decided to split the last leg, Barbara taking me to the boat ramp, where we would wake Tom up and ride his steed into the victory garden. The last three and a half hours around the lake and up to town was pure pleasure, a satisfying steady walk/jog wherein we knew we had the beast by his throat, and merely were deciding upon the means of execution. With a mile to go, the three of us felt the incredible thrill of gaining the crest of the hill and looking down upon wondrous little Leadville, and the perfect ambiance that lends itself to all the emotion and glory that you thought could never be equaled the last time. But no, there was the hard swallow in my throat, the tears that insist on sliding down the gray stubble of my jaw once again. For this, after all, is Leadville, where it seems everyone knows your name. I s it any wonder that strong men come back again and again to try to do "more than you think you can." And sometimes, by god, with the help of your friends, you really can. , Race Report: Kentucky Ironman 2007 Bob Eckerson P resident Bob Eckerson and past President and 25 year triathlon veteran Steve Edwards traveled to Louisville Kentucky for the Inaugural Louisville Ironman Triathlon on 8/26/07. Although not new to triathlon racing nothing could prepare us for the race day temperature of 102. The first thing upon arriving on Thursday evening was how hot it was. At 6pm the sun and heat was still blazing. Down the street from our hotel there was a section of town called 4th Street and the street was closed off to traffic and A\C was blasting away to add comfort for dining. On Friday morning upon leaving our hotel once we stepped outside the heat took your breath away. So early and so hot. We traveled down to the river for a practice swim and to test the current. The water temperature was in the 80's and a strong current. I almost ended up in another town and had my worries about getting back into shore. Saturday there was a forecast for heavy thunder showers and they did show up after all the bikes were in the transition area. The rain was supposed to cool things off but instead added more humidity to the heat. Sunday the start of the Ironman race a 2.4 mile swim in the Ohio river a place where the townspeople do not even go near. We had to hike up river 3/4 mile to the start and jump off a dock one by one to start. Wetsuits were not allowed in the 85 degree water. We swam up stream then across the current and then down current to the finish. All the time hoping the things you swam into or around were other swimmers and nothing else. Visibility was nonexistent and you better not have drank any of the foul stuff. After the refreshing swim we took a little bike ride of 112 miles through the rolling hills of Kentucky. Between the heat and the never ending hills after 80 miles we were all hanging on to finish the bike ride. Fluids were in constant need and we were fortunate not to have any mechanical bike problems. The last 10 miles even downhill could not end fast enough. With the swim accomplished and a memorable bike ride ended we took off for a little run through the back side of the city. The 2 loop 26.2 miles had some shade but at 4 pm the temp was at 88 degrees and holding steady. Although the first 13 miles were not bad the second 13 put us in a slower mode and the ironman shuffle could not even be accomplished. The long day and dehydration set in and a thirst could not be satisfied. But night was falling and the sky illuminated with lights of the finish line that beckoned us. I have never seen so many athletes walking an Ironman marathon as this one. 2100 starters and 1560 finishers. A good finishing time was now history, now just to finish. I know that pain and sickness during an endurance event is only temporary but the disappointment of not finishing lasts forever. So at last, after 14 hours we have crossed the finish line not only of this race but to finish and record a lifetime memory. , A couple of sloppy guys at the end of Ironman Kentucky, Steve Edwards and Pres. Eckerson mug for the obligatory photo opp. Sorry guys - you don’t rate a cover this time! (Courtesy Bob Eckerson and IM Kentucky) 22
Cape Cod Athletic Club - July/Oct 2007 Racing Team Expense Reimbursement Policy Proposal submitted 1 November 2007 for membership review Comments and clarification requests to Bill Masterson or ccac@cape.com The CCAC President asked me to draft a proposed policy statement, to be voted upon by the members present at the regular December meeting of CCAC, to take effect immediately, for CCAC reimbursement of certain expenses incurred by members of CCAC racing teams. Herewith is the Nov. 1st draft of such a policy, which incorporates ideas contributed by Geof Newton, Bob Eckerson, Tom Radziewicz, and Jane Lovelette. PROPOSED CAPE COD ATHLETIC CLUB (CCAC) RACING TEAM EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT POLICY I. GOALS 1. To bring glory and recognition to CCAC for excellent performances by CCAC racing teams. 2. To encourage as many members of CCAC as possible to participate in team races. 3. To fairly allocate a portion of the monetary resources of CCAC to the team racing budget. 4. To avoid bankrupting CCAC, given that the Treasurer has effectively managed CCAC money with great success over the past several years. 5. To ensure that CCAC Teams presents a consistent, professional image when competing on a regional or national stage. II. WHAT WILL BE REIMBURSED? 1. Entry fees, to a maximum of $40.00 per TEAM MEMBER per race, for races where each leg is no more than 12 miles long. This means no reimbursement for CCAC teams entered in Boston Marathon, Cape Cod Marathon, Hyannis Marathon, Chicago Marathon, New York City Marathon, or any other marathon of 26.22 miles, and no reimbursement for the New Bedford Half-Marathon, the Hyannis Half-Marathon, or other half-marathons of 13.11 miles. It would allow reimbursement for entry fees in marathon RE- LAYS and other relays, such as Reach The Beach and Lake Winnepesaukee, for example, where each leg is no more than 12 miles long. III. WHAT WILL NOT BE REIMBURSED? 1. Travel expenses, such as airfare, vehicle rental, meals, lodging, mileage, gasoline or other fuels, tolls, parking, etc. 2. Expenses for team uniforms or other clothing, except as provided under Special Incentives under item VIII.2. 3. Monetary compensation to team members, except as provided under Special Incentives under item VIII.3. 4. Any expenses for any races that do not have a recognized team-scoring component. 5. Any expenses in excess of the first $4,000.00 spent under this Expense Reimbursement Policy in a calendar year; that is, first come, first served. IV. WHO IS A CCAC TEAM MEMBER? 1. A CCAC team member is a person whose dues are current on race day; this means they have paid dues of at least $20.00 during the 365 day period preceding race day. 2. Entry fee reimbursement will be made only for members of teams where ALL race team members are paid-up members of CCAC, and where ALL race team members complete the race and the team gets an official team score. Since many team entry fees are $20 or more, it will behoove a non-member to pay the $20.00 ahead of time and join CCAC, to get the benefit of having CCAC pay the race team entry fee. CCAC will pay the entry fees only when the team successfully finishes the race, and the team NAME includes CCAC in the team name. Creative names are not encouraged. CCAC team recognition is encouraged. Names such as CCAC, or CCAC 40+, or CCAC 50+, or CCAC 60+, etc. are satisfactory. 3. If the team competition is a USA Track & Field (USATF) or USA Triathlon (USAT) competition, the CCAC team member must also be a paid-up member on race day of the relevant governing organization. V. PROCEDURE FOR EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT 1. The team captain will submit the names of team members to the CCAC MEMBERSHIP OFFICER (currently Tom Nally: pnally@capecod.net) at least 30 days before the race date. The membership officer will confirm by e-mail which names are currently paid up, with a copy sent to the CCAC TREASURER (currently Tom Radziewicz: dirkradz@ix.netcom.com), and to the CCAC Race Team Coordinator (currently Bill Masterson: wmasterson@capecod.net). Any team members who are NOT currently paid up will prevent the team from qualifying for reimbursement until such time as the CCAC Treasurer has received the current dues payment (currently $20.00) from the expired member, and such dues payment must be made before race day. 2. CCAC Team Members will pay the entry fees out of their own funds and the TEAM CAPTAIN will seek reimbursement from the CCAC Treasurer on behalf of all team members as provided in item V.1. Any exceptions to this rule will be governed by item VII.2 under the Exceptions Rule below which requires the requestor to apply in person at a regular monthly meeting of CCAC more than 30 days prior to the race date. 3. In the event that the team does not complete the race, or receives no official score, the TEAM CAPTAIN shall be liable to reimburse CCAC within 30 days after race day for the amount, if any, of the team entry fee advanced by the CCAC Treasurer. 4. For team races where CCAC does not pay the entry fee in advance, CCAC will reimburse the TEAM CAPTAIN upon request within 30 days after the race, provided that the Team Captain verifies that all team members completed the race, and follows the procedure in item V.1. It will be the responsibility of the TEAM CAPTAIN to distribute the reimbursements to each of the team members. 23
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One More Mile - Cape Cod Athletic Club

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